1. The scene of the beergarden is typically German, not Austrian(even though Salzburg in on the border). It's very easy to cross over to Bertechsgaden, maybe 25 miels from Salzburg. I predict that that task will be in Germany.

2. The ballet is quintessentially Russian. I predict we will see it in one of the Siberian cities.

I am happy to report that my deductions on where the other Siberian city is (based on the flight schedules out and proximity to the "known" Kransnojarsk. It is Novosibirsk. I was right on the money and it is right on the Trans Siberian railroad.

HI to everyone been a while from posting. The number on the hang glider is the phone number for the OASE Flugschute company in Germany their email is www.oase paragliding.com If some one reads German may be they can contact them for more info.

Obermaiselstein, Germany is a place I never heard of before but it's on the extreme southwest corner of Bavaria. That puts it a long way from Salzburg. However, one compensation is that they have a wildlife zoo. The restaurant there looks very capable of having a small oom-pah brass band, so you never know. If it is in this race, it means a substantial detour from the shortest route between Interlaken and Salzburg.

Thanks Uncle Bll and Boingo for that info! That's some lotta beer , and German beer is strong, As I can attest to after having survivied a week at Oktober fest with a bunch of Aussie's years ago, Bavaria would be fabulous!

Russia ballet, could St Petersburg be possible?

We need to have 9 countries this time:

SwitzerlandAustriaRomaniaIndiaRussiaSiberiaThailandChinaUSA (Hawaii)

So if we don't count Russia/Siberia as 2, we are still missing one....

Quote

These contestants will travel one of the most grueling courses ever assembled on the Race - spanning 40,000 miles and nine countries in just 22 days. Teams will be faced with a multitude of extremes, including the world's second tallest bungee jump, bone-chilling Siberian temperatures followed by the suffocating heat of India, and an Olympic-sized challenge that leaves Teams gasping for air. For the first time in the history of the Race, Teams will travel to Romania and Siberia.

Thanks Uncle Bll and Boingo for that info! That's some lotta beer , and German beer is strong, As I can attest to after having survivied a week at Oktober fest with a bunch of Aussie's years ago, Bavaria would be fabulous!

Russia ballet, could St Petersburg be possible?

We need to have 9 countries this time:

SwitzerlandAustriaRomaniaIndiaRussiaSiberiaThailandChinaUSA (Hawaii)

So if we don't count Russia/Siberia as 2, we are still missing one....

They visit Italy (Domodossola) when they are on the train from Locarno...

• The driver pulled down the window and asked a young Austrian man for directions. I recognized right away that the driver spoke American English, so being the helpful American I am, I pulled around the front of the car to see if I could help. The Austrian man was fishing for his English vocabulary. Both the front and rear driver's side windows were down. A young man was driving, what I guess was his wife or girlfriend was behind him."How do you get to Schloss Hellbrunn?" the man asked me. He and the woman were frazzled, amazingly desperate! And they were covered in what looked like an amazing amount blood, guts, and pumpkin rot. But it all looked fake. Plus they had tons of make-up on

Did an editor slip up here and really mean Siberia? Or do we need to have a look-see?

Quote

The racecourse spans 40,000 miles and nine countries in only 22 days, according to the release. Along the way, teams — which include stuntmen brothers, a pair of former NFL cheerleaders, two female flight attendants, a brother-sister duo with Harvard law degrees and the show’s first-ever deaf contestant and his mother will face the world’s second tallest bungee jump, the “bone-chilling cold” of Siberia followed by the “suffocating heat” of India, stops in Romania and Serbia and an “Olympic-sized challenge that leaves teams gasping for air” among other challenges

Did an editor slip up here and really mean Siberia? Or do we need to have a look-see?

Not really, this kinda solves your "missing country" issue. Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia) borders Romania. Fits the less air travel mantra of TAR14. They could visit both easily. Note the author also mentions Siberia in the same article. It's possible.